The forecast for the weekend was a glum one as it was supposed to rain nearly the entire time. Abigail and I headed down on Saturday afternoon after the morning rain showers gave way to warm and humid conditions. We arrived nearly at the same time as my mom and dad and got to work immediately to beat the incoming thunderstorms. Abigail kept herself busy in the cabin while mom and dad mowed and I planted a portion of the small field.
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| Abigail getting down to business with her art kit |
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| Mom getting some mowing done |
With the wet conditions and more rain in the forecast, I opted to not use the disc to till up the small field before planting. I broadcast the fertilizer with the ATV, then used the bag spreader to spread the oats, rye, peas, clover, and radishes before finishing off the plot using the drag harrow.
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| Ready to broadcast the Austrian Winter Peas |
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| Small field all planted and waiting for rain |
After the mowing and planting was finished we got a fire started and made pizza pie irons for dinner. After dinner, we could hear some rumbling from thunder in the distance so Abigail and I hoped on the ATV and drove around to pull trail camera cards and check on all of the food plots.
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| Brassicas on the small field have caught up and are growing very well |
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| Soybeans have produced pods |
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| Brassicas on the south end of the big field |
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| Brassicas in the middle of the big field |
With the recent rains, all of the food plots are looking great! The brassicas that were planted about 6 weeks ago are all filled in and growing bulbs. The soybeans are still being eaten back by the deer but managed to produce a good number of pods anyways. The turnips that I broadcast into the soybeans 3 weeks ago are up and growing and will provide some extra late season food for the deer. Both clover plots are growing nicely as well. For the 2nd year in a row we were able to grow some good food plots even in drought conditions due to some timely rains.
The storms moved past just to our northwest so we ended up staying dry for the evening. I decided to walk down and sit on the big field food plot as sunset approached, to watch for deer. A lone doe stepped out into the field but noticed me right away and after stomping and snorting for a few minutes she ran off back into the woods.
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| Doe coming out for a bite to eat |
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| Storm clouds to the northwest |
After a good nights sleep and a trip to church in the morning, we got back after it. Abigail and grandma enjoyed the unexpected sunshine as dad and I headed off to prep all of the tree stands and blinds for hunting.
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| Playing some ladder ball |
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| View from the ridge tree stand |
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| Path to the big field blind trimmed out |
Preparing stands is a tedious job but makes for a much more enjoyable and safe hunting season. After a break to grill some hamburgers for lunch, we finished up with the stands on the north end of the property and then spent some time having fun before packing up to head home.
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| ATV rides are always a favorite |
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| Archery range all set up |
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| Dad getting in some practice shots |
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| Getting some shots in at 40 yards |
We ended up being very lucky, although it was very humid, we avoided the rain for the duration of our trip. Originally we were going to stay through Monday afternoon, but with so much rain in the forecast, we headed home early. In fact, the rain started coming down as we pulled out onto the highway. A fun time was had by all and the trip really built up the excitement for the season to start in less than a month.
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| Abigail with some pumpkins, apples, and pears that we picked |
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| Abigail with grandma and grandpa |
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| Abigail and I in front of the cabin before heading home |
I am lucky to have a significant amount of PTO left for the year so I will be spending a lot of time down at the cabin throughout all of November and later in December. I will also be taking each of the girls down to hunt with me during weekends in October. I have a feeling that it is going to be a great season and I'm officially ready to get it started!
